Brent Wojahn/The OregonianIrina Dmitrieva of Beaverton has her measurements taken by Christi Amend. Dmitrieva works as a health unit coordinator at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center who admits to a weakness of "America's Next Top Model."

Looking over the crowd at the Portland Fashion Week open call for models on Sunday, you'd never know the U.S. suffers from an obesity problem.

Everywhere, you look, you see the tall and slender; the taller and even more slender; and the tall-as-a-beanpole-and-just-as-skinny.

Members of this gazelle-legged group -- about 200 strong -- are waiting their turn outside a lecture hall at the Art Institute of Portland to strut their model stuff. And we do mean strut. Because, for runway models, it's all about the walk.

"We definitely look for the walk, that is the priority," says Prasenjit Tito Chowdhury, an executive producer of Portland Fashion Week, the designer showcase that has been dressing up Portland since 2003. This year's event, with a focus on sustainability and independent designers, happens Oct. 7-11.

When it comes to models, it's about "posture, and the overall look," Chowdhury says. He's joined at a table at one end of the room by his fellow judges: Christopher Cone, a Portland Fashion Week executive producer; Marie Saturn, owner of Saturn Style Studios; and Angela Smith, a model and fashion week volunteer.

"I look for personality, something that each model has that's all her own," Smith says. "That je ne sais quois, that thing that's popping." Smith laughs. "That thing there! I don't know what it is, but I know it when I see it."

Chowdhury says they're looking for 25 to 30 female models, and 15 male models. The line outside the door responded, even though they won't be getting paid. "We paid the last two years, but sponsorship is down this year," says Chowdhury, citing the rough economy. But what the models will gain, he says, is visibility because of press coverage and attendance by fashion buyers and industry professionals from beyond the Northwest.

The judges take their seats and applicants enter, one by one. Instead of striding down a fashion show runway, with music thumping and lights flashing, these models walk into a classroom and stroll down an aisle cleared between rows of desks. At each end of the aisle, they stand and strike a pose. Rather than showing off designer creations, they're dressed in their own form-fitting clothes: jeans, shorts, halter tops, and in the case of the guys, T-shirts, polo tops and jeans.

A striking brunette wearing white capris, a reddish-pink sleeveless top and wedge heels -- the women were asked to bring heels -- walks up and down the aisle. She has the serene, self-assured expression of a modeling professional, and a smooth, graceful stride. The judges murmur, and she's given a number and sent to the side of the room to have her measurements taken. This means she's made the initial cut.

"I've been interested in modeling since high school," says the brunette, whose name is Sutton Sorensen. "But I wasn't quite ready for the industry. You have to be really confident." The 25-year-old is represented by Option Model Management in Portland. She's also a singer, who performs jazz, blues and folk.

The key to modeling, Sorensen says, "is you have to get out of your body, in a way. It's not about you. You're selling the product, or modeling the clothing. And you also need to learn how your body looks in photographs, and know your angles."

Back in the classroom, more young women, and a few men, are taking their turns. Some overdo the haughty-model expression. Others nervously admit they've never done this before. Applicants have to meet certain guidelines. Females must be between 5-8 and 6 feet tall, and wear dress sizes 0-6. Males must be between 5-10 and 6-foot-2, with a waist measuring 28-32 inches and jacket size up to 42 long.

On the side of the room, in the measuring area, Irina Dmitrieva is surprised her audition went so well. The long-legged 26-year-old moved from Russia to Portland with her family 11 years ago. Though she has modeled a bit over the years, she works as a health unit coordinator at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. "I wear scrubs," says Dmitrieva. "My style is very casual." But she does confess a weakness for the TV show "America's Next Top Model."

Mariam Jobe, 22, is a Portlander who's represented by a Los Angeles agency. She flies back and forth for jobs, and notices definite style differences between the cities.

"Portland is a little more relaxed, and L.A. is more high fashion," says Jobe. Sometimes, she says, she'll wear L.A.-style, dressed-up looks in Portland, "and people look at me funny. I need to balance myself."